31 October 2019

Top 5 posts in October 2019

There were 35+ posts at Canada's Magic last month.  Here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days:


5. Toronto: Asi Wind Jam Session and Hangout! - Sounds like a great time was had by all.
4. Ontario Week of Wonder recap - By all accounts it was definitely a wonderful week!
3. Toronto: Win tickets to see "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy" - Thanks again to the Eldritch Theatre for offering this wonderful prize!
2. October 2019 sale: 30% off yearly sponsorship rates! - Today's the last day folks.

and the most viewed post this month  ...






1.Win tickets to see "The Art of Magic with Asi Wind" - Thanks again to the Toronto Magic Company for offering this wonderful prize!

Winner of tickets to see "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy"

The contest to win a family prize pack of tickets to attend the the 20th abominaversary edition of "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy" at the Red Sandcastle Theatre is closed. Thank you to everyone who played!

If you didn't win, you can purchase tickets at EldritchTheatre.ca/Tickets


My favourite answers to the question "what do you think is the scariest magical effect (either to perform or to watch)?"
  1. The only thing scarier than someone pulling a coin out of your nose is someone pulling a coin out of your little brother's nose.
  2. I'm always intimidated by coin magic, especially when watching. I'm paranoid the slippery coins will go flying and ruin everything.
  3. Any fire related effects, as those can be dangerous if done incorrectly.
  4. I go to magic shows to escape from the unpleasantness of real life. Tricks like smash and stab, that involve a real risk that someone is harmed during the show, terrifies me (and not in a good way)!  If I had to pick a FUN scary magic trick... hard to beat "the web"!




a Rafflecopter giveaway




Congratulations Amanda!  You'll be contacted by someone from the Eldritch Theatre shortly.



With thanks to the Eldritch Theatre for generously making these tickets available to you!


30 October 2019

Vancouver and Victoria: Jason Verner in "Millennial" and "Senses"

From Eventbrite:
Sunday, November 10, 2019

A special "one-night only" performance of "Millennial." As part of the 3 of Clubs Convention, hosted by The Vancouver Magic Circle.

About this Event
Technology. Magic. Millennial. 21 year-old magician Jason Verners is proud to present his newest touring production: "Millennial." With performances across North America, multiple international awards, and regular network television appearances, Jason is thrilled to return to Vancouver, BC for a special "one-night only" performance of "Millennial." as part of the 3 of Clubs Convention, hosted by The Vancouver Magic Circle. Jason has created a show with a unique combination of close up magic, audience participation and countless surprises. This experience will shatter your expectations of what a magic show can be. Jason Verners has been called "The next David Blaine" by celebrities and press across the nation, and we invite you to come witness why. This production features brand-new illusions from Jason Verners. JasonVerners.com @JasonVerners -- “ONE of the Best Young Magicians in Canada” -Vic42 "Full of humour, wonder, and the best kind of magic: genuine magic." -happydesigns -- *Tickets will be available at the door depending on availability, but we strongly recommend buying them in advance as this performance is expected to sell-out in advance. *Although there are no official age restrictions, the show is NOT geared towards young children and is typically recommended for ages 13 and up.

Read more and buy tickets.


From Eventbrite:
Friday November 22

"Senses" has been built within the award-winning House of Boateng Cafe in Langford, BC. The evening is split into six parts, each dinner course from Chef Castro Boateng is paired with a moment of mystery by magician Jason Verners that will unlock and reveal one of your five senses. The question is: What is the 6th?

Sight. Sound. Smell. Taste. Touch. ........

Join us for the most immersive dinner-theatre the nation has to offer. The experience is strictly limited to forty people.

whatisthesix.com

Read more and buy tickets.







29 October 2019

Dean Gunnarson recreated Houdini's 1915 suspended straitjacket escape

From the August 18th post "Dean Gunnarson recreates Houdini's L.A. escape in 1987" by John Cox at Wild About Harry:
On October 29, 1987, escape artist Dean Gunnarson recreated Houdini's 1915 suspended straitjacket escape in Los Angeles to promote the live Halloween television special, The Search for Houdini. Dean was introduced as James Randi's protege, and Randi was on hand to assist in the stunt.

Read more.

28 October 2019

Ontario Week of Wonder recap

With thanks to Joan Caesar for sending us updates and photos from the first Ontario Week of Wonder!

Congratulations to everyone involved.  It looked like a fabulous event.

Special congratulations to Joan, who received a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the Saturday night gala show.



















(Click on each photo to see at full size)































27 October 2019

Regina: Oliver, the ventriloquist dummy made in the 1910s

From the October 17th article "Black Museum exhibit in Regina shows off creepy side of Canada's true crime history" by Samanda Brace in CBC News:
One of those creepy items is Oliver, the ventriloquist dummy made in the 1910s by an RCMP member who was a magician and ventriloquist that put on shows for children.

Unfortunately, Oliver hasn't aged well, according to Eskritt. He has been designated the host of the exhibit.

"Now I can't verify that it's true or not, but some of our visitors in the past have said that it feels like his eyes follow you as you move around the exhibit, so that adds to the whole sort of atmosphere," Eskritt said.

Read more.

26 October 2019

A(nother) peek behind the curtain with Alex McAleer

Upcoming Champions of Magic Canadian tour dates:
  • 12/8/19     Brandon, MB
  • 12/12/19   Ottawa, ON      
  • 12/14/19   Oshawa, ON
  • 12/15/19   Laval, QC
  • 1/16/20     Saskatoon, SK    SaskTel Centre
  • 1/17/20     Regina, SK    Conexus Arts Centre
  • 1/26/20     Prince George, BC
  • 2/29/20    Rama, ON        
Read more and buy tickets.


A peek behind the curtain with Alex McAleer 

You may remember the wonderful interview, "A peek behind the curtain with Alex McAleer," from December of last year.  I was delighted to receive an invitation to take a second pass at an email interview with McAleer as part of a Champions of Magic promotion.

If you haven't already, check out his YouTube channel where he hosts his series Mind Games in addition to his Champions of Magic tour vlog.






What do you do to keep your performance fresh for both your audience and you?

Although my act has a solid structure, each show is different as the audience play a big part in deciding what happens, whether they know it or not. So it becomes a bit like improv for me. That helps to keep it fresh, but I always try to keep my energy and enthusiasm up for each and every audience because it might be 1000th time I’ve done the show but for them it’s their first time seeing it.

You've toured a number of countries.  Have you experienced anything specific about Canadian audiences in particular?  
Canadian audience have the North American enthusiasm like crowds in the U.S. but feel a bit more like the audiences back home in the UK in terms of their sense of humour.

Do you have any advice for touring magicians?
Advice for touring magicians...
  • Travel light.
     
  • Don’t use a roller bag. They can never fit them all in the overhead bins on a flight. 
     
  • Save locations like coffee shops, stores, restaurants, whatever, on Google maps so when you go back again for more shows or whatever, you’ve got a list of your favourite locations.
     
  • Take time to see things the town or city is known for. Ask a local, especially Uber drivers.
     
  • If you find good WiFi somewhere, use it wisely - download films, books, podcasts, whatever you need. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.
     
  • Steal all the free toiletries from hotels. They might come in handy on the road, or make disappointing gifts for people you don’t like very much.
     
  • Have something to do in the downtime. Usually I’m editing a tour vlog, or writing up some new ideas. Kayla and Young both have podcasts.  [Editor's note:  podcasts are Shezam Pod and The Magicians' Podcast respectively.]


What interests do you have outside of magic?
Film. Art. Cooking. Gym. Laughing. Anthropomorphising inanimate objects. Not always in that order.
Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals?

Not really as I’m not at all superstitious. However, I always brush my teeth before a show but that’s more of a courtesy to participants that join me on stage and makes me smile more on stage.

If you were to ask the others what McAleer likes to do pre-show they’d say get ready ridiculously early; costume and mic on, ready to go, long before I need to.


If you could be endowed with the talent to take on any Broadway role past or present, who would you pick?
Something from ‘Into The Woods’ ... maybe doubling up as the Wolf and one of the Princes as they get the songs that would be most fun to perform.

Those are fun parts! You can't go wrong with Sondheim.






Thank you Alex McAleer for making the time to answer our questions.


Catch the Champions of Magic on tour in Canada!



Upcoming Champions of Magic Canadian tour dates:
  • 12/8/19     Brandon, MB
  • 12/12/19   Ottawa, ON      
  • 12/14/19   Oshawa, ON
  • 12/15/19   Laval, QC
  • 1/16/20     Saskatoon, SK    SaskTel Centre
  • 1/17/20     Regina, SK    Conexus Arts Centre
  • 1/26/20     Prince George, BC
  • 2/29/20    Rama, ON        
Read more and buy tickets.